Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

NATIVE TITLE ACT 1993 - SECT 24NA

Acts affecting offshore places

Coverage of Subdivision

(1) This Subdivision applies to a future act to the extent that it
relates to an offshore place. A reference to a future act to which this
Subdivision applies is to be read as referring to the act to that extent only.

Validation of act

(2) If this Subdivision applies to a future act, the act is valid.

Extinguishment of native title by compulsory acquisition

(3) If:

(a) the act is the compulsory acquisition of the whole or part of any
native title rights and interests under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or
a Territory that permits both:

(i) the compulsory acquisition by the Commonwealth, the State or the
Territory of native title rights and interests; and

(ii) the compulsory acquisition by the Commonwealth, the State or the
Territory of non-native title rights and interests in relation to land or
waters; and

(b) the whole, or the equivalent part, of all non-native title rights
and interests, in relation to the land or waters to which the native title
rights and interests that are compulsorily acquired relate, is also acquired
(whether compulsorily or by surrender, cancellation or resumption or
otherwise) in connection with the compulsory acquisition of the native title
rights and interests; and

(c) the practices and procedures adopted in acquiring the native title
rights and interests are not such as to cause the native title holders any
greater disadvantage than is caused to the holders of non-native title rights
and interests when their rights and interests are acquired;

then the compulsory acquisition extinguishes the whole or the part of the
native title rights and interests.

Non-extinguishment principle

(4) In the case of any other future act to which this Subdivision
applies, the non-extinguishment principle applies to the act.

Compensation where compulsory acquisition

(5) If this Subdivision applies to a future act consisting of the
compulsory acquisition of the whole or part of any native title rights and
interests:

(a) if compensation on just terms is provided under a law of the
Commonwealth, a State or a Territory to the native title holders for the
acquisition, and they request that the whole or part of any such compensation
should be in a form other than money, the person providing the compensation
must:

(i) consider the request; and

(ii) negotiate in good faith in relation to the request; and

(b) if compensation on just terms is not provided under a law of the
Commonwealth, a State or Territory to the native title holders for the
acquisition, they are entitled to compensation for the acquisition in
accordance with Division 5.

Compensation for other acts

(6) In the case of any other future act to which this Subdivision
applies, the native title holders are entitled to compensation for the act in
accordance with Division 5.

Who pays compensation

(7) The native title holders may recover the compensation from:

(a) if the act is attributable to the Commonwealth:

(i) if a law of the Commonwealth provides that a person other than the
Crown in right of the Commonwealth is liable to pay the compensation--that
person; or

(ii) if not--the Crown in right of the Commonwealth; or

(b) if the act is attributable to a State or Territory:

(i) if a law of the State or Territory provides that a person other than
the Crown in any capacity is liable to pay the compensation--that person; or

(ii) if not--the Crown in right of the State or Territory.

Procedural rights

(8) In the case of any future act to which this Subdivision applies, the
native title holders, and any registered native title claimants in relation to
land or waters in the area concerned, have the same procedural rights as they
would have in relation to the act on the assumption that they instead held any
corresponding rights and interests in relation to the offshore place that are
not native title rights and interests.

Satisfying the right to be notified

(9) If:

(a) because of subsection (8) or any law of the Commonwealth, a
State or a Territory, the native title holders have a procedural right that
requires another person to notify them of the act; and

(b) there is no registered native title body corporate, or there are no
registered native title bodies corporate, in relation to the whole of the land
or waters in the area concerned;

then one way in which the person may give the required notification is by
notifying, in the way determined, by legislative instrument, by the
Commonwealth Minister for the purposes of this subsection, the following that
the act is to take place:

(c) any representative Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander bodies for that
part of the area concerned for which there is no registered native title body
corporate;

(d) any registered native title claimants in relation to land or waters
in that part of the area concerned for which there is no registered native
title body corporate.

Satisfying other procedural rights

(10) If:

(a) because of subsection (8) or any law of the Commonwealth, a
State or a Territory, the native title holders have a procedural right that
requires another person to do any thing in relation to the native title
holders; and

(b) there is no registered native title body corporate, or there are no
registered native title bodies corporate, in relation to the whole of the land
or waters in the area concerned;

then one way in which the person may give effect to the requirement is:

(c) by doing the thing in relation to any registered native title
claimant in relation to land or waters in that part of the area concerned for
which there is no registered native title body corporate; or

(d) if there are no such registered native title claimants--by ensuring
that any representative Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander bodies for that part
of the area concerned for which there is no registered native title body
corporate have an opportunity to comment on the doing of the act.